The subject matter disclosed herein generally relates to ram air turbine actuators, and more specifically to devises for use in a toggle mechanism of a ram air turbine (RAT) actuator.
RATs are commonly used on modern aircraft to provide a secondary and/or emergency power source in the event the primary power source is insufficient or fails. A typical RAT includes a turbine that remains internal to the aircraft until needed. When additional power is required, a door in the aircraft's fuselage will open and the actuator will deploy the RAT's turbine into the freestream air. The turbine is rotated by the freestream air and the rotational torque from the turbine is transferred through a drivetrain to be converted into electrical power by a generator. A RAT may also be used to drive a hydraulic pump.
A toggle mechanism internal to a RAT actuator may act as an over center mechanism to initiate the actuation process. After receiving an electrical command, solenoids pull on a cross rod, which turns over a clevis to move the toggle mechanism past its over center position. This motion then allows the actuator to actuate and deploy the RAT. The cross rod and clevis experience loading from the solenoids and also back loading from internal components of the actuator. Accordingly, clevis and cross rod capable of withstanding the loading, while being easy to install and maintain would provide both cost and reliability benefits.